Perioperative management including dual cell salvage in a Jehovah's Witness patient undergoing major urological surgery

Abstract

Complex surgery associated with major hemorrhage presents particular risks for Jehovah's Witnesses who do not accept transfusion of blood products. Intraoperative use of two cell saver machines simultaneously can maximize the yield of salvaged blood from both the operative field and from washed surgical swabs and can potentially be life‐saving.

Durable complete response for oligometastatic renal cell carcinoma with immune checkpoint inhibition and cytoreductive nephrectomy in a Jehovah’s witness: A case report

“…Several case reports highlight the use of bloodless transfusion programs to lower the risk of hemorrhage in surgical resection of vascular-rich tumors. There is a wide spectrum of bloodconserving approaches including circulatory bypass, intraoperative cell saver therapy consisting of antifibrinolytics, fibrinogen cryoprecipitate, or prothrombin concentrate (5,6). The bloodless transfusion approach at our institution is based on informed consent and discussion of each specific product the patient would and would not be willing to receive.…”